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Railway Fare Increases
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By *atcouple OP Couple
over a year ago
Suffolk - East Anglia |
Have I got it right? At the risk of being slated for the following:
I have to agree with the rail companies increasing rail fares. The rail system had been decaying for years under socialist nationalisation and it takes a very long time to get it to something near being an efficient system.
Let's look at the history.
Up to the 1940's the rail system was in private hands and had evolved to being an extensive efficient rail system. Then Labour nationalised it after the war at a time when we could least afford it. Result? It eventually becomes inefficient and badly run as most nationalised industries do . The result of this is that it is expensive and bad value for money, so along comes "Doctor" Beeching who recommends closure of many lines. The system remains nationalised, poorly managed, inefficient with minimal investment.
It cannot be turned around in a few years, it takes huge investment over many years and this has to be paid for.
Am I missing something? |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"But it was privatised between 1994 and 1997, thats 23 years ago. How much longer do they need? "
Private Eye have a long running section about the railways. I haven't read it regularly for some time, but it used to say that British Rail had basically got itself sorted out just before privatisation. Also that one of the main reasons given for privatisation was the large subsidy BR got. It also said that the post-privatisation subsidies were (are) significantly greater than what BR used to get. Whether this is correct or not, I cannot say. |
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By *yrdwomanWoman
over a year ago
Putting the 'cum' in Eboracum |
The Government says it is having to pay more to improve the lines, so train users should also pay. So how come the companies that run the trains (getting HUGE subsidies from the Government by the way, as well as making a healthy profit on every ticket they sell) don't have to contribute to upkeep of the lines?
Train users are getting shafted every way there is - fare increases, paying income tax, some of which is used to improve the track, yet the trains are running worse than ever. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The Government says it is having to pay more to improve the lines, so train users should also pay. So how come the companies that run the trains (getting HUGE subsidies from the Government by the way, as well as making a healthy profit on every ticket they sell) don't have to contribute to upkeep of the lines?
Train users are getting shafted every way there is - fare increases, paying income tax, some of which is used to improve the track, yet the trains are running worse than ever. "
I don't think you can say 'worse than ever'?
I commute up to Newcastle by train every weekday, it works reliably enough. If you're expecting the trains to run like they do in Holland etc, then perhaps not, but it works.
I accept that there are, from what I see on the news, areas where, perhaps, this is not quite so good,
But I'm pretty sure that the trains have been a damn site worse than this. How about 1945 when things were so bad postwar that they were nationalised? |
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By *oo hotCouple
over a year ago
North West |
It is galling that UK passengers pay significantly more than their European counterparts for similar length journeys. I don't know the answer, but I am old enough to remember a Nationalised rail network and my abiding m more is of trains either running late, not coming at all and strikes. Lots and lots of strikes.
Seeing as how much of political punchball the NHS is (our only real Nationalised institution) I just don't see any form of Nationalisation working with our current political system. We would need to creat non political management structures that were not subject to political interference. |
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"Have I got it right? At the risk of being slated for the following:
I have to agree with the rail companies increasing rail fares. The rail system had been decaying for years under socialist nationalisation and it takes a very long time to get it to something near being an efficient system.
Let's look at the history.
Up to the 1940's the rail system was in private hands and had evolved to being an extensive efficient rail system. Then Labour nationalised it after the war at a time when we could least afford it. Result? It eventually becomes inefficient and badly run as most nationalised industries do . The result of this is that it is expensive and bad value for money, so along comes "Doctor" Beeching who recommends closure of many lines. The system remains nationalised, poorly managed, inefficient with minimal investment.
It cannot be turned around in a few years, it takes huge investment over many years and this has to be paid for.
Am I missing something?"
Well said and despite what some people think , the rail companies are not making massive profits . We are investing for the future . |
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By *ercuryMan
over a year ago
Grantham |
We are trying to run a 21st century railway service on largely victorian infrastructure.
France Germany and Spain invested heavily on dedicated high speed lines recently, and apart from our Channel Tunnel link, HS2 will be our first foray into this sort of railway.
We are obsessed with speed but I much prefer the Dutch model of slower but regular punctual and clean trains and at a cheaper fare. Speed has to be paid for |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"We are trying to run a 21st century railway service on largely victorian infrastructure.
France Germany and Spain invested heavily on dedicated high speed lines recently, and apart from our Channel Tunnel link, HS2 will be our first foray into this sort of railway.
We are obsessed with speed but I much prefer the Dutch model of slower but regular punctual and clean trains and at a cheaper fare. Speed has to be paid for"
I'm a rail fan, but HS2 as planned strikes me as utterly pointless. Shave 20mins off London to Birmingham usn't it? Lot of money for 20mins! |
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By *ammskiMan
over a year ago
lytham st.annes |
My friend is a train driver and if his train is late his company gets fined,if it delays the next train his company gets fined and so on,it,s not a cheap fine either,where do and who to do these fines go and why is that money not used to repair/Renew the trains/lines,he did not know.Does anyone know ? |
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By *yrdwomanWoman
over a year ago
Putting the 'cum' in Eboracum |
"My friend is a train driver and if his train is late his company gets fined,if it delays the next train his company gets fined and so on,it,s not a cheap fine either,where do and who to do these fines go and why is that money not used to repair/Renew the trains/lines,he did not know.Does anyone know ?"
The fines are paid by Network Rail to the train companies. Train users don't benefit at all.
And OK, the trains might not be the worst ever. Pretty sure we now go faster than the Rocket. But I travel to London regularly and it is noticeable how many trains are delayed/cancelled along the East Coast Mainline these days. Usually on consecutive days. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"My friend is a train driver and if his train is late his company gets fined,if it delays the next train his company gets fined and so on,it,s not a cheap fine either,where do and who to do these fines go and why is that money not used to repair/Renew the trains/lines,he did not know.Does anyone know ?
The fines are paid by Network Rail to the train companies. Train users don't benefit at all.
And OK, the trains might not be the worst ever. Pretty sure we now go faster than the Rocket. But I travel to London regularly and it is noticeable how many trains are delayed/cancelled along the East Coast Mainline these days. Usually on consecutive days."
Try Southern...
The Rocket would be an improvement. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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If I'm paying 1.8% more on fares. I expect 1.8% more trains or be 1.8% better.
Look at the university tuition fees. It's 9 times more expensive since I paid for it. Do you expect the same results better results? |
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Scotrail owned by Netherlands State Railway makes £1,000,000 a month and received £261,000,000 in 2014/15.
Merseyrail is run as a joint venture between Netherland State Railway and Serco. It got £86.2 million is subsidies in 14/15 and made over £16 in profits.
I could carry on, but there is little point.
Fact is Tories are not opposed to public ownership. They are opposed to British taxpayers owning British infrastructure, it is perfectly OK for foreign countries to run our infrastructure for profit to subsidise the cost of running their infrastructure.
And many here think that JC is the madman because he wants to end the madness introduced by the Tories. |
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By *ercuryMan
over a year ago
Grantham |
"Scotrail owned by Netherlands State Railway makes £1,000,000 a month and received £261,000,000 in 2014/15.
Merseyrail is run as a joint venture between Netherland State Railway and Serco. It got £86.2 million is subsidies in 14/15 and made over £16 in profits.
I could carry on, but there is little point.
Fact is Tories are not opposed to public ownership. They are opposed to British taxpayers owning British infrastructure, it is perfectly OK for foreign countries to run our infrastructure for profit to subsidise the cost of running their infrastructure.
And many here think that JC is the madman because he wants to end the madness introduced by the Tories."
I seem to remember John Prescott on the hustings in 1997 boldly proclaiming "the first thing that a Labour government will do, is to Re nationalise the railways"
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"I seem to remember John Prescott on the hustings in 1997 boldly proclaiming "the first thing that a Labour government will do, is to Re nationalise the railways"
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Really?
Well here is the 1997 Labour Manifesto pledge on railways, I cant see anything about re-nationalisation there:
Railways
The process of rail privatisation is now largely complete. It has made fortunes for a few, but has been a poor deal for the taxpayer. It has fragmented the network and now threatens services. Our task will be to improve the situation as we find it, not as we wish it to be. Our overriding goal must be to win more passengers and freight on to rail. The system must be run in the public interest with higher levels of investment and effective enforcement of train operators' service commitments. There must be convenient connections, through-ticketing and accurate travel information for the benefit of all passengers.
To achieve these aims, we will establish more effective and accountable regulation by the rail regulator; we will ensure that the public subsidy serves the public interest; and we will establish a new rail authority, combining functions currently carried out by the rail franchiser and the Department of Transport, to provide a clear, coherent and strategic programme for the development of the railways so that passenger expectations are met.
The Conservative plan for the wholesale privatisation of London Underground is not the answer. It would be a poor deal for the taxpayer and passenger alike. Yet again, public assets would be sold off at an under-valued rate. Much-needed investment would be delayed. The core public responsibilities of the Underground would be threatened.
Labour plans a new public/private partnership to improve the Underground, safeguard its commitment to the public interest and guarantee value for money to taxpayers and passengers. |
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"It's not what was written, it was what was said.
I know we are going back a while but I remember it vividly, as I turned to my partner and said that "it would never happen,""
Funny that, I was always taught read the manifesto. Talk is cheap, it can be edited to change its meaning and can always be denied as being taken out of context. That can not be claimed of a political manifesto.
By the way, you do know that the “drafted findings” by watchdog the BBC Trust uphold a viewer’s complaint against the Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg for using creative editing to alter a news story have upheld the complaint. The complaint argued that Kuenssberg misrepresented the Labour leader’s ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy in a BBC News at Six item on the November 2015 Paris attacks. |
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By *ercuryMan
over a year ago
Grantham |
"It's not what was written, it was what was said.
I know we are going back a while but I remember it vividly, as I turned to my partner and said that "it would never happen,"
Funny that, I was always taught read the manifesto. Talk is cheap, it can be edited to change its meaning and can always be denied as being taken out of context. That can not be claimed of a political manifesto.
By the way, you do know that the “drafted findings” by watchdog the BBC Trust uphold a viewer’s complaint against the Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg for using creative editing to alter a news story have upheld the complaint. The complaint argued that Kuenssberg misrepresented the Labour leader’s ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy in a BBC News at Six item on the November 2015 Paris attacks."
Pleased about that. She isn't a very good journalist at all. Asks stupid petty questions and never let's the interviewee speak.
Let's hope she learns from it. |
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"Pleased about that. She isn't a very good journalist at all. Asks stupid petty questions and never let's the interviewee speak.
Let's hope she learns from it."
Personally I hope she looses her job for her dishonesty and political bias, but I am not holding my breath. |
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